Calling all digital tokens cryptocurrencies without any distinction is like calling the U.S. dollar, Monopoly bills, redemption tokens from the local arcade, and a coupon for a free soda nothing but “cash.” While they all are used for purchasing or redemption of goods or services, inherent nuances restrict what you can do, how you can do it, and where each is accepted. We see the same thing occurring the currency cryptocurrency craze, where little distinction is made. Sometimes it [...]

The cannabis industry is one that’s constantly expanding. In the US alone, the marijuana industry could be worth about $50 billion annually by 2026, and that’s just one country, where the many states currently don’t allow recreational marijuana. Because of years of spotty regulations, criminal laws, and the nature of the industry itself, the regulatory environment is incredibly fractured, with the US government leaving legalization and then regulation up to the states. Other countries take similar tactics, even as [...]

In July, The Wall Street Journal declared Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) to be the “New Road to Startup Riches.” They were absolutely right. By the end of 2017, ICOs raised more than $4 billion toward their projects, and by some measures, it has even surpassed venture capital funding as a means of securing the finances to launch a business. New ICOs continue to proliferate as companies seek flexible ways to raise funds that can jumpstart their business, and, when [...]

Bitcoin’s surprising rise in 2017 helped forge a new moment for digital currencies and blockchain technology. Since the beginning of its torrid run, hundreds of new blockchain startups, dubbed altcoins, have emerged to create a crowded and diverse ecosystem. Every altcoin begins with an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), which is an interesting combination of the similarly named Initial Public Offering (IPO) and a crowdfunding campaign. For an ICO, a company often produces a white paper that outlines its product [...]

Browse almost any list of companies with the worst reputations, and undoubtedly big banks and institutional investment firms will be present. This is because oftentimes, these large entities have piles of cash they can leverage to gain power and control over the target investment.Unfortunately for the cryptocurrency community, these institutions are setting their sights on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a whole host of other coins. While some are waiting for Bitcoin futures to begin trading on the CME, others are using [...]

What makes an ICO successful? It’s a question without a single clear answer, because success lies in the combination of factors. Why, for example, is Paragon, which raised over $183 million from its ICO, so much more successful than say, Branche, which only raised $5,000? One key element for any ICO is the whitepaper. A whitepaper helps potential investors judge your expertise, seriousness, product, and the likelihood that it will ever come to fruition or offer any return on their [...]

Once seen as fringe by mainstream investors, initial coin offerings are now the talk of Silicon Valley as well as Wall Street. They’ve raised over $3.2 billion this year which is about 3,000 percent more than they raised in 2016. The rise has been dramatic, to put it mildly. To be fair, they offer a new model for crowdsourced fundraising, allow people to raise more money than they’d be able to from venture capitalists, from a larger base, all [...]

What do ICOs and venture capitalists have in common? Well, for one, they may be one of the reasons why traditional IPOs (initial public offerings) have been on the decline the past several years. According to some, the access to private equity through venture capitalism has led companies to source all of their funding through private channels, rather than going to traditional open markets. Additionally, internet companies have raised more through ICOs than they have with venture capital firms [...]

Among ICO token options, two stand out as being most important - ERC20 and ERC223. Below is an analysis of both, and the necessity of choosing a token wisely. ERC20 The ERC20 token has been the sort of ‘gold standard’ for the Ethereum token chain. The token standard has been helpful because it defines specific parameters which tokens must meet in order to be compliant with the Ethereum standard. The standard demands that tokens be capable of a certain [...]

This year’s hottest investment, the initial coin offering (ICO), would yield an astonishing 1,320% if one invested in every coin offering. For blockchain firms, ICO funding is rapidly outpacing traditional equity funding in 2017. But the new kid on the block has raised some questions, especially on the regulatory front. Since ICOs are unregulated, unlike IPOs and other capital investments, many are wondering about if and when a regulating authority will step in and set some ground rules. The [...]